Live Oblivion Vol.2
Brian Auger's Oblivion Express
Despite the rambunctious energy of Auger’s various line ups, live was where it was at for the Hammond man’s bands. And never more so than with the Oblivion Express.
Live Oblivion Vol.2
Brian Auger's Oblivion Express
Purchase product
Despite the rambunctious energy of Auger’s various line ups, live was where it was at for the Hammond man’s bands. And never more so than with the Oblivion Express.
About
The group were finishing off a huge US tour that had roared down the east coast then across the Midwest and by the time they hit LA, as Brian recalls the group was performing at their height.
The show opens with a hyper fast version of 'Beginning Again' due to drummer Steve Ferrone being almost an hour late and running high on adrenaline, Brian remembers thinking “I don’t even know if I can play it that fast!”.
Fortunately, he and the Oblivion Express including stellar vocalist Alex Ligertwood rise to the challenge and the result is akin to some frenetic jazzy drum & bass but also pushes the group onto another level altogether for the rest of the show. Across both volumes there are no fillers and the highlights are many, but especially the epic version of 'Maiden Voyage' which Mos Def sampled on his 1997 'If You Can Huh! You Can Hear', and both DJ Mitsu in 2004 and 2017 Crimeapple both dipped into Live Oblivion to sample that fire for their own projects.
Contents and tracklist
1. Freedom Jazz Dance 09:36
2. Happiness Is Just Around The Bend 08:31
3. Maiden Voyage 11:11
4. Second Wind 07:39
5. Whenever You're Ready 08:21
6. Inner City Blues 10:03
7. Straight Ahead 06:01
8. Compared To What 12:30
Awards and reviews
June 2024
Despite the rambunctious energy of Auger’s various line ups, live was where it was at for the Hammond man’s bands. And never more so than with the Oblivion Express.